Natalia Paguaga Joins BrightGauge as Integration Developer
We’re excited to welcome Natalia Paguaga to our team as an Integration Developer! Join us in learning more about the newest member of our growing BrightGauge team…
In the beginning
So, where is Natalia from? We’ll give you one guess. If South Florida was your first thought, you’re right! Like the majority of us BrightGaugers, Natalia is a Miami native. Specifically, she grew up in Hialeah, surrounded by Cuban coffee and pastelitos. She takes pride in her community, noting that the people of Hialeah embody a resilient hustle that can’t be overlooked. That and the lingering scent of freshly baked Cuban bread makes her love her hometown.
After graduating from Mater Academy Charter High School, Natalia earned a full scholarship to the University of Florida (go Gators!) where she appreciated being part of a community with so much school spirit. As she puts it, even certain birds on campus had blue and orange legs.
Natalia graduated UF with a degree in English Literature and eventually found herself back in South Florida, working as a third grade teacher. It may sound surprising, but that job is what led her to her love of data.
As a teacher, Natalia was responsible for making sure her class was ready for FSA testing, which required her to gather data on an FSA prep tool called I-Ready. The way she interpreted the data and used it to gauge her student’s exam readiness sparked something in her. She realized she had a passion for data and programming and the theory behind software development. So, Natalia joined Wyncode to explore her new love.
Joining BrightGauge
In her teaching days, Natalia always felt confident going into meetings with parents and faculty because the data she gathered allowed her to assemble necessary information and adequately prepare in advance. She feels that the way BrightGauge customers are able to gather data is something that helps them advance in their daily lives, and she loves that.
As she puts it, “Building something that allows you to pull data needed to create an awesome dashboard is honestly so cool! The fact that it’s information that is helping others makes it much more exciting.”
Furthermore, the passion she felt from the rest of the BrightGauge team struck a chord with her and made her feel that joining the team would be a tremendous blessing.
Natalia can’t wait to get her hands on various APIs and datasources that will make a difference in customer’s lives.
Out of office
When Natalia’s not coding like a boss, you can find her spending lots of time with her family. She’s the oldest of 14 grandchildren and together they love playing board games and kickball and guessing the plots of holiday Hallmark movies.
She’s an avid Disney fan and is constantly drawn back to their parks because of their special attention to small details, which always reminds her of the first time she ever went (a feeling that doesn’t age).
Natalia also collects different versions of Pride & Prejudice, in multiple languages whenever possible, so wherever in the world she is, you can surely find her in a used bookstore, digging through the stacks, hoping to uncover a treasure.
By the way, if you get a chance to meet Natalia, make sure to ask about her multiplication & division rap song!
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